TNAG-0498-FCO40-563-Deportation-of-foreign-nationals-from-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 78

CONFIDENTIAL

BACKGROUND NOTE

South Vietnamese Membership of the IPU

1. The status of the South Vietnamese Parliamentary group was questioned at a recent IPU meeting in Bucharest. A compromise was reached whereby the Secretary-General of the IPU was instructed to seek information about the status of the South Vietnamese Parliament from the

South Vietnamese themselves and from the Provisional Revolutionary Government, and to report at the Tokyo Conference.

2. We understand that the Secretary-General has received information only from the South Vietnamese in response to his enquiries.

His

report to the Executive Committee at the Tokyo Conference should therefore be favourable to their case.

3. The British Delegation to the IPU Conference has already discussed this question and agreed that as the Government of the Republic of Vietnam is the only legal Government of South Vietnam, only members of its parliament should be eligible for membership of the IPU.

4.

Whatever else may be said about the Government of South Vietnam

they do have elections for the Legislature in which a measure of free choice is possible. The present elected Assembly contains a number of representatives of the leading opposition parties.

CONFIDENTI AL